Preps daily: 12/28

Titles for host Pekin in 47 previous years of the boys basketball Pekin Insurance Holiday Tournament.

Pekin won the championship at its own tournament in 1966, 1983, 1995 and in ‘99. Pekin will face Springfield Lanphier for the 2012 title on Saturday night.

By the numbers

2 — Players who scored for Chicago Kenwood against Pekin in the girls event at Dixon. The Dragons, who had eight players with at least one point, cruised to a 56-13 victory.

17 — Total number of players who scored in a 57-51 victory for the West Hancock girls over Macomb at Beardstown. The Bombers had nine players with at least one point, while West Hancock had eight.

10 — Points scored by Fieldcrest’s Haley Ruestman in the second quarter of a 56-28 victory over Princeton at the St. Bede Christmas Classic in Peru. Princeton’s leading scorer for the game finished with nine points.

Metamora returns to Macomb-Western tournament?

By the sounds of it, the Metamora boys will be back at the Macomb-Western Holiday Tournament for 2013.

“The competition level here is very good for us,” Redbirds coach Danny Grieves said. “I like it here. It’s a good atmosphere.”

Grieves says the M-WHT gives his team a chance to see some great small-school teams. Plus, it gives Metamora a chance to get out of the Peoria.

“You don’t have to play the Washingtons, Centrals, and Manuals 24-7,” the second-year coach said, “because we play all those guys.”

Metamora travels to Central on Jan. 5, then hosts Washington on Jan. 11.

Pair of 1,000s for Fieldcrest girls and boys

With a 3-point make in the fourth quarter of the Fieldcrest girls’ 56-28 victory over Princeton at the St. Bede Christmas Classic in Peru, senior Haley Reustman eclipsed the 1,000 point mark for her career.

It was the second time this season that a Knights player reached the four-digit milestone after Brady Sanders accomplished the feat on Dec. 14 in a win over Hall at the Colmone Classic in Spring Valley.

Reustman finished with a game-high 25 points, with her triple being her only points scored in the final frame.

Official mainstay at Manual girls tournament

This is the 34th year of the Manual Girls Holiday Tournament, and referee Jerry McDaniels has worked every one of them.

“(Former girls basketball coach) Denny Brown started this thing 34 years ago with Larry Hendricks and we had 16 teams,” McDaniels said. “We’re down to 12 now and hopefully it will expand the next couple of years.”

McDaniels has seen a parade of all-staters and superstars over the years and made a lot of friends.

“East St. Louis, I think, has been here from the beginning,” he said. “We’ve had people and fans that have come back every year and now their girls are playing in it.”

All good things must come to an end but McDaniels isn’t ready to hang up his whistle just yet.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it,” he said. “I hope I have a couple more years left to do this.”

Did you know?

The Abingdon boys’ 55-37 loss to Pittsfield in the consolation title game at the Macomb-Western Holiday Tournament was a rematch of the 2000 championship game.

That was the Commandos’ only title, while Pittsfield has gone 22-2 in trophy games, according to M-WHT historian Chris Smith.

In 2012, the Illini Central boys are 2-0 in third-place games on college floors. The Cougars beat Eureka, 43-41 in Saturday’s third-place game at Western Hall. In March, IC took third in Class 1A with a victory on Bradley’s home floor at Carver Arena in Peoria.

They said it

“This tournament is always tough. If you get in the final eight over there, you’re not going to find an easy game ... I’d rather come over here and play four good games against quality competition than maybe go someplace and rack up four wins by 15-20 points.” — Illini Central boys coach John Giesler said of tough field at the Macomb-Western Holiday Tournament.

“You call that, then it looks like wrestling under the basket.” — Hamilton West Hancock coach Reno Pinkston said to the officials during the fifth-place game of the Macomb-Western Holiday Tournament.

“We’re like a pack of wolves. We’re a lot stronger as a group than we are individually.” — Pekin boys coach Dave Mott.

“He’s a stat-sheet stuffer. He can control the game without scoring a point or he can control the game by scoring 30.” — Springfield Lanphier boys coach Blake Turner on his uncommitted junior G Larry Austin.

“I don’t know when the last time Limestone was in the championship game of this tournament. Probably when John (Gross) was here.” — Limestone girls coach Kevin Metzger after the Rockets earned a spot in the Manual Holiday Tournament championship game.

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